Peripheral bearing



A. M. HUNT PERIPHERAL BEARING .June 2,*1931.

Filed July 14 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l IlLI IIIPIL/ Eri- VI RN 5M y /l/NVE TR.

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June 2, 1931. A. M. HUNT PERIPHERAL BEARING.

' Filed July 14 1923 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 failli/11111 l? Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE .ANDREW I. `HUNT, F NEW YORK, N..Y., ASSIGNORTO THE STANDARD erom oom:-

PANY, INCORPORATED. A CORPORATION or DELAWARE :PERIPHERAL BEARING* i Application lllcd July 14, 19'28. Serial No. 292,611.

My invention relates to bearings, and more speclficall to bearings for feed or conveyor screws. he general object of the invention is to provide new and improved bearings of the character Stated.

To the above andother ends which will subsequently appear, my invention consists in the features of construction, combinations of devices and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

While my invention is of general application, it was more particularly designed for use in connection with the feed screw of a mechanical Stoker; and it has s ecial advantages when so used. In a lp Stoker of the type where coal is conveyed from the lace of Storage inthe locomotive tender to t e place of use in the locomotive boiler by means of a screw conveyor operating in a conduit or housing, the bearings which have heretofore been provided for the screw within the conduit 'have been subject to various objections. For one thing such bearings act as al1-obstruction tothe fuel or'coal in its passage through the conduit'. Moreover, the interrupt the continuity of the screw an thereby lessen the eiiciency of the feed, and this takes place at the very point where an effective feed is necessary owing tothe obstruction interposed by the bearing itself. By my present inventlon these obor circular seats or grooves in the walls Ofj ections are overcome.

In the present exemplification of the invention the thread or ridge of the screw conveyor-is preferably provided at several adjacentpoints with radial projections which extend outwardvbeyond the'threads of the screw and are adapted to engage in curved the conduit. The projections and their seats co-operate to provide a bearing which both assists to Support the weight of the Screw conveyor and also to take up end thrusts dur- Y ing the o ration of the Stoker. The con- .struction 1s Such that the conduit is left open and unobstructed throughout its length, and the conveyor screw is continuous and uninterru ted..

y invention win bn inscribed in d etInilin ocomotive of the conduit 13 is a feed connection with the accompanying vdrawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary verticalisectional view taken centrally fore-and-aft of a loco- 'motive Stoker embodyin one formof the invention, only so much o the stoker and locomotive being shown as isnecessary to a full understanding Iof 4 thev invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan vview showing partv of the conduit withthe upper portion or half removed to disclose the conveyor screw within; ,f L

Fig. 3 is apvertical sectional view taken diametrically of Fi 2, the upper part 'of the ip ndlit, however, eing shownl in place in Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical 'Sectional view 'taken on planes indicated by the interrupted Section lines 4, 4 in Fig. Zand looking in the direction of the rrows at said line the upper part ofthe conduit being in place, however, in Fin'. 4- also; and Fig. 5 is a fiagmentary perspective view of the conveyor screw.

Figs. 2-5 are drawn to a somewhat larger Scale than is Fig. 1. l

`As appears from Fig. 1,'the frame of the locomotive indicated generally bythe numeral has disposed above it a boiler having a rear water 'leg 11. Arranged horizontally below the cab deck 12 and extending forward from the locomotive tender (not Shown) is a Stoker-conduit or housing designated by the numeral 13. Said conduit is supported in art on the locomotive frame 1 0 and is Ormed of flexibly connected Sections, the forward Section having an upwardly extending unobstructed deliv'e passage terminating 1n a mouth above the level of the tire. Mounted in the lower or horizontal portion or conveyor screw whlch is composed ofa lurality of sections connected end to end. y universal joints, two such sections 14 and 15 being Shown herein. The forward screw section 15 terminatesat the lower end of the vertically disposed rtion of the conduit 13. As thus far descri d, thel parts are of a construction known before mypresent invention.

In carrying out said invention in the present instance, I provide the thread or ridge 16 of the screw 15 with. one or more bearing devices or projections which are in the form of fins, anges or 17, there being three of such fins shown in the present instance disposed on adjoining portions of the screw thread 16. If desired, the ins may be cast integrally with the screw but as shown herein they are in the form of detachable flanglike members provided with oppositely disposed ears 18 -which are adapted to embrace between them the contiguous portion of the rib 16, said ears being perforated to receive securing devices as rivets 19 which pass also through the holes in the rib.

By this means, the of each iin is secured rigidly to the screw in a plane perpendicularly disposed to the axis of the screw. The outer face of the fin is curved or arcuate, the curve being struck from a center on the axis of the screw. Looked at endwise as in Fig. 4 the bearing parts or fins 17 are discontinuous or separated. They are, however, preferably spaced equally apart and so disposed that at least one of them will constantly co-operate with thea'ssociate stationary part of the bearing to assist in supporting the screw 15. The stationary bearing part aforesaid, designated as a whole by the numeral 20, is adapted to envelope the screw completely outside of its periphery. K part 20 may be integral with the housing or conduit 13, it is as herein shown comprised of a number of separated parts, viz.: a top part or half 21 and associate underlying parts or segments 22 of which latter there are four in the present instance. The parts 21 and 22 when assembled together constitute a tubular element or member; and it is to be understood that the reason for making them separate is for convenience .in assembling with the screw 15 for which they provide a bearing.

The part 21 is in half-tubular form and its interior is provided with a plurality of parallel seats or grooves 23, three of which are shown in the present instance. The underlying parts or segments 22 which may, if desired, each be interlocked at their `ends or engaging faces with the part 21 as indicated at 24.-, are so spaced apart as to'provlde grooves or seats 25 which are aligned or in register with the grooves 23 above. The construction .is such that.when the parts 21 and 22 are assembled, they provide within their circular interior or bore a series of uninterrupted circular parallel grooves or depressions 23, 25`wbich are adapted to receive and co-operate with the fins 17.

The bearing 20 is received in an opening in the conduit 13 and may be inter-seated with a depression indicated at 13 in thelower side thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 3.' From this figure it will be apparent that the inner iiange or body portion While this stationary lbearing face of the depression 13* provides a bottom for each of the grooves 25. If preferred each of the segments 22may individual groove 1n the conduit 13 in order to prevent lateral relative displacement of Ythe segments 22.

It will be observed that by the employment of this improved bearing the conduit is left free and unobstructed for its full len h; that the screw itself is uninterrupted bot as to its threads and as'to its stem or barrel; and that the bearing is adapted to take up both radial and axial components of forces acting on and reacting with the feed screw or conveyor, or, in other words, the bearing be seated in its own not only supports the weight of the screw but also takes its end thrust. The fins may be regarded as outer rotating parts of the screw, coacting with the relatively stationary bearing element 20, this having a circular bearing portion of greater diameter than the screw itself, providing in eifect a stationary curved seat with which the fins successively ooact as its lower side. The outer faces of the fins may rest directly on the depressed part 13 of the conduit, or they may be formed with offsets to engage the edge portions of the segments 22, or other obvious expedients may be resorted to for enabling the bearing to support the'weight of the screw, all without departing from the invention.

The bearing sections 22 may be fastened in place in any desired manner as for instance by counter-sunk rivets through the sections and the supporting conduit part 13'. 'Various changes besides those specified may be employed within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. In a feed screw combination of a screw, a-plurality of fins device for a Stoker, the.

rigid with the screw and disposed in planes f.

device for astoker, the

stationaryseats for said iins,'said seats completely enveloping the screw.

3. In a feed screw device for a stolzer, the

combination of a screw, a plurality of ins= rigid with the screw and disposed in planes at right angles to the screw stationary seats for said fins, pletely being said seats comenveloplng the screw and said discontinuous but disposed so that at axis, and parallel 'izo fins-Y least one of them is always in cooperation` with aA seat to support the weight of the screw.

4. In a feed screw device for a Stoker, the combination of ascrew, a plurality of fins `rigid with the screw and disposed in planes at right anglesto the screw axis, and parallel stationary seats for said ns, the screw' being horizontally arranged and the fins acting in succession to support its Weight.

5. In a feed screw device ior a Stoker, the combination of a screw provided .with separate parts rotative in planes at right angles to the screw axis, and a stationary bearing element with which said parts coact' in succession to assist in supporting the weight of the screw.

6. In a Stoker, the combination of a conduit, a feed screw therein, a curved bearing Y onthe inner wall of the conduit and provided with a plurality of grooves, and a plurality of projections on the screw extending radially outward and cooperative with the grooves in said bearing.

7. In a locomotive stoker, the combination of a horizontally disposed tubularconduit, a plurality of parallel curved seats 'on the inner wall thereof, a feed screw rotatable Within said conduit, and radial projections on said screw and cooperative with said seats.

8. In a locomotive Stoker, the combination of a horizontally disposed tubular conduit, a detachable bearing member supported on said conduit and provided with a pluralit of parallel curved seats, a feed screw rotatable within said conduit, and radial projections on said screw each cooperative with one of said seas.

ANDREW M. HUNT. 

